The Assassin's Heart 2: Into the Wind
by Sforzie
Summary: James has another assignment. Will he be able to complete it without destroying Jessie? (This is a sequel, not another chapter.)


The Assassin's Heart 2: Into the windDisclaimer: Pokemon is owned by Nintendo,   
Game Freak, and Creatures. Yay for them. This is the sequel to the first part of   
this story. It may not be good, but yeehaw on that.  
  
The Assassin's Heart 2: Into the Wind  
by: Sforzie  
  
It was raining. Jessie and her Meowth were sitting on a park bench, huddled   
underneath a black umbrella. The kitten was having a miserable time, party   
because of the rain and because its coin was coming in. Jessie sighed--the rain   
was testing her hair spray to its limit.  
"This isn't what I expected when the Boss said he had a job for us," Jessie   
muttered to the kitten.  
  
"Meowth?" the Meowth blinked, rubbing its forehead.  
  
"Quit rubbing your coin," Jessie said slowly. The kitten shook its head a   
vigorous 'no'. "I have a pokeball for you; you're free to hop inside until   
you're ready to behave."  
  
"Meowth, eowth," the kitten said.  
  
"And its not raining inside your pokeball," Jessie noted.  
  
"Owth," the Meowth shook its head no again.  
  
"Fine, be that way," she sighed. "But no head rubbing."  
  
"Meeeowth."  
  
The bench was positioned across the street from a graveyard. Another Team Rocket   
agent had died recently. The agent had been new to the service, and was killed   
'accidentally' in a car crash. Team Rocket was having a difficult time keeping   
their new recruits alive lately. No one was really sure why, but in the past   
year almost half of the people who joined the Team didn't make it for more than   
three months. It wasn't deterring in the new memberships though--people were   
just as desperate now as in the past. Maybe moreso.  
  
The funeral service was nearly over. Jessie's (and her Meowth's) job was to make   
sure nothing went wrong. The radio built into her earring chirped and was   
static, but nothing was happening. Jessie frowned, watching the procession from   
the distance of the black iron fence. This current fatality had been one of her   
recruits.   
  
"He would have been useful too," Jessie said, trying not to remember that her   
boyfriend had been useful once too.  
  
"Meowth."  
  
After Mitch's death (listed as a disappearance, of course), most of his estate   
had been returned to Team Rocket. A few items that had been listed as gifts to   
Jessie were allowed to remain in her possession. So it had been back to her cold   
apartment in Rocket City. Alone, aside from her Pokemon. For now Jessie didn't   
mind, being in Rocket City meant being away from her other troubles.  
  
Jessie watched a police officer walk by. Water dripped in front of her face and   
she squinted, eyeing the gun on the officer's hip. The blue haired woman stopped   
and looked at Jessie. Meowth's ears sunk down against his head.  
  
"It's sad, isn't it?" For a moment Jessie pretended not to hear. She felt the   
stare of the officer on her umbrella. Then the officer cleared her throat.  
  
"What is, officer?" Jessie said mildly.  
  
"Losing them so young," the officer said. Jessie looked at her closely from   
under the umbrella. The officer knew who she was.  
  
"Yes, I suppose it is," Jessie replied stiffly. The officer shifted on her feet.  
  
"I'm not supposed to arrest you people while funeral services are going on,"   
Officer Jenny muttered in apology. "Why aren't you with them?"  
  
"I'm out here to guard against any authorities or trouble," Jessie said. Jenny   
smiled.  
  
"For you, aren't they the same thing?"  
  
Jessie cast a look down at the ground. "Sometimes."  
  
"Mrrrow?" the kitten yowled, distratcing both women.  
  
"What a cute little Meowth you have," the officer said.   
  
"He was a gift," Jessie whispered.  
  
"Looks like his coin is coming in."  
  
"Meeeowth ow!" the kitten agreed.  
  
"You should be feeding him extra Meo-9 vitamins until his coin comes in," Jenny   
said pointedly. Her fingers tapped on her hip, just above the gun. Jessie   
nodded. Jenny silently continued down the wet sidewalk. Jessie and the Meowth   
watched her direction silently, only relaxing once the officer had turned away   
from the cemetery.  
  
Jessie looked back. The ceremony was over--a line of black cars were heading out   
of the graveyard in a quiet row.  
  
It continued to rain.  
  
***********  
  
Several towns away the day was pleasant. The sky was blue-clear, and--despite   
his better judgement--James thought it a great day to be working. He crouched   
behind a sleeping Gloom, watching his target. The girl was talking to the gym   
leader about something or another. She had short black hair, and a narrow frame   
with ample enough bust. James cracked a smile and silently sighed as she watched   
her. The girl--known in the Team Rocket files as 'Dra02'--turned slightly and   
James caught a glimpse of the pokeballs on her hip. James shifted his weight as   
he reached for his gun.  
  
James did have certain complaints about working during the day, no matter how   
nice the weather was. He was more likely to be caught during the day. It also   
wasn't quite as dramatic as doing the deed during a more well-planned hour of   
the night. He also tended to be hungrier during the day, and the last thing   
James needed was his stomach giving him away. But for the particular assignment,   
the attack could only be made when Dra02 was accessable. She had a tendency to   
disappear during the night hours. James regretted have to do this in a public   
gym, but there was no other way he would get a fair shot on her. Dra02 had been   
a thorn in his task schedule for the past two weeks, ever since removing a   
certain informant.  
  
The gun was charged; all five of the plasma chambers had reached their proper   
frequencies. James didn't use this gun often--it was more like a Pokemon's SWIFT   
attack--to be used only when a guaranteed hit was needed. He would have to be   
certain that Dra02 was down and dead before he could leave. Getting her Pokemon   
was just a secondary option. He shifted forward, resting the gun just above the   
Gloom's red petals.  
  
The gym leader turned away, and Dra02 moved to follow. James took this as him   
moment. Never rising from his crouch, he aimed and fired the gun. A bright ball   
of blue light shot across the relatively small distance to its target. The blast   
hit her in the back. Dra02 jerked for a moment as every nerve in her body   
misfired--the blast almost scorched a hole through to the other side--and then   
her eyes rolled up into her head. The target was dead before she hit the   
ground--before the gym leader could even turn around. The leader screamed.  
  
"Gloooooom!" the Pokemon in front of James suddenly jerked awake. The gym leader   
looked up, and James was already backpedalling away.  
  
"You! Stop right there!" the leader shouted, grabbing one of her pokeballs. It   
was a pointless gesture--James had already cleared the fence and was quickly   
disappearing down the street. She hit a button to call the police, but it was   
too late. As the killer of Dra02 disappeared, the gym leader heard a parting   
phrase:  
  
"What a great day to be an assassin!"  
  
**********  
  
Jessie gloomily returned to Team Rocket headquarters. Her Meowth mewled from   
within its pokeball, but she continued to ignore the kitten.  
  
"So how did things go?" Tony, the division leader, asked.  
  
"Dull and wet," Jessie said. "The only thing that happened was that an officer   
stopped and talked to me. Nothing else really."  
  
"Mmm."  
  
"So what's my next task?" Jessie wondered. A faint mew came from her pocket.   
Tony glanced at her waist curiously. "My Meowth."  
  
"Mmm," he repeated in the same non-commital way. "The Boss wants you to head   
over to Garden Town. You're supposed to pick something up there."  
  
"'Pick something up'?" Jessie sounded doubtful. "Whatever happened to stealing?"  
  
"The item was already stolen," Tony said. "But the person who stole was caught   
and imprisoned. He did manage to hide the package though." Tony handed Jessie a   
few sheets of sky-blue paper.  
  
"Alright, I'll go do the grunt work again," Jessie sighed, glancing over the   
papers. Tony nodded and she left.  
  
Tony's secretary clucked her tongue once Jessie had departed. "There must be an   
easier way to get rid of people, sir."  
  
He cast her a dirty look. "She knows."  
  
**********  
  
Jessie took a bus to St. Pokesburg. During the trip a terrific howl came from   
the pokeball. When Jessie released the kitten the Meowth popped out, proudly   
sporting a shiny new coin on its forehead.  
  
"Meowth!" it purred happily.  
  
"Oh aren't you just precious," Jessie said mockingly. She collected her Pokemon   
and bags and got off the bus. The ground was muddy and Jessie was glad that   
she'd worn sneakers for once.  
  
Jessie and the Meowth started down the road, marked "8 miles to Garden City".   
The kitten sat up on her shoulders, constantly shining its coin.  
  
"If you keep rubbing like that you'll wear your coin right off," Jessie said   
chidingly. The kitten paused in consideration, then shook its head and continued   
shining. Jessie sighed.  
  
**********  
  
James was happy to be able to mark in the little boxes next to Dra02's   
information in his assignment book. Considering what could have went wrong,   
everything had went as planned. He flipped to the next page.  
  
"Let's see... WSJ01-01," James read the basic information sheet. "Mmm, all   
capital letters and a dash. Must be important." He flipped to the image page and   
took it all in quite professionally. His eyebrow didn't even twitch while   
looking at the picture, like it usually did when he took on a new assignment.  
  
"This should be interesting," he muttered.  
  
**********  
  
Garden City was in chaos when Jessie arrived. People were running crazily in all   
directions. Some were carrying lumber, others were stuffing things into   
vehicles. Meowth cowered under her hair.  
  
"What the hell is going on here?" Jessie muttered. How was she supposed to find   
the package in this mess?  
  
"Meowth?" the kitten said from under her hair. Jessie grabbed the next person   
who ran by.  
  
"Excuse me, sir, but could you tell me what's going on?" she asked as sweetly as   
she could manage through clenched teeth.  
  
"What? You mean you don't know an evacuation when you see one?" the man looked   
perplexed as he carefully balanced several pieces of lumber.  
  
"An evacuation?"  
  
"Have you had your head stuck in the sand for the past week?!" the man shouted   
at her. Jessie grabbed her ears.  
  
"Uh, no?"  
  
"Everybody knows about the hurricane," the man said sourly. He stomped away.   
Jessie looked at Meowth, who clung to her shoulder.  
  
"What hurricane, Meowth?"  
  
"Eowth," it said, shaking its head.  
  
"I wish people would give me a little more warning," Jessie sighed. "I knew   
Garden City is on the coast, but these people are acting like their world is   
coming to an end."  
  
"Yowth."  
  
"Well, come on. Let's go find that package before it gets blown away."  
  
**********  
  
"But Boss, I hate hurricanes!" James whine-shouted into his small communications   
box.  
  
"I don't care, you'll have plenty of time," the Boss said. "You can be inland   
before it even starts to get breezy."  
  
"Fine," James said. He was watching the local new station's coverage of   
Hurricane (Typhoon, take it as you like) Dewolf. At Category 5 and heading   
straight for the southern coast of the island, James wasn't too thrilled at the   
turn his latest assignment was taking. "Oh well, its all in a day's work."  
  
"Just shut up and get moving," the Boss snapped. "I think you'll enjoy your next   
assignment."  
  
"Does it involve food?" James said glumly, propping his chin on his fist.  
  
"Inadvertantly, yes."  
  
"Good. I'll get right on the latest one." James clicked off the connection and   
looked back at the television.  
  
"Yes, and as Dewolf continues his north-northeast trek towards the port cities,   
residents of Cinnibar Island, Garden City, and several other towns have been   
ordered to evacuate their homes. Emergeny shelters are being arranged, we'll   
have those posted later. Dewolf is expected to hit somewhere between Garden City   
and Fort Rodeo within the next 24 to 36 hours..."  
  
"Wonderful, just fantastic," James sighed, reaching for his bag.  
  
**********  
  
"I don't see how there could be a hurricane with such beautiful weather," Jessie   
commented as she wove down the crowded street. The roadways were jammed and so   
she had remained on foot while searching the area.  
  
"Meow, Meowth."  
  
"Yes, this should be the place." Jessie stopped in front of a building. After a   
moment's consideration she facefaulted. "How can this be the right place?! It's   
all abandoned and boarded up..." Meowth jumped from her shoulder and pulled   
something off the door. It was a note. "Oh. To whom it may concern. Sorry for   
the inconvienence, but we will be rebuilding after the hurricane has passed and   
will be open for business again soon!" Jessie stuck the note back on the door.   
  
"Great. This is just fabulous. How am I supposed to get the package if the place   
is closed?"  
  
"Meowth," the kitten shrugged, and began to rub its coin.  
  
"I can't break in," Jessie said. "You know that's illegal." She smiled. Meowth   
peered curiously at its owner.  
  
"Mrow, mrowth?" it dropped its paw away from its coin and sniffed at the door.  
  
"I think it would be smarter to go in through the back," Jessie noted. Meowth   
nodded.  
  
The pair snuck around to the back of the building. They didn't really need to   
sneak, since there wasn't really anyone there to see them. The doors and windows   
in the back were boarded up as well.  
  
"What's the point of boarding up if they expect the place to get blown away?"  
"Meowth."  
  
"True, maybe it keeps everything together better. Okay, Meowth, do your stuff."   
Jessie prodded the kitten.  
  
"Meowth!" the Meowth sniffed around all the boards until it found what it was   
looking for. It sat and mewed at Jessie.   
  
"Good kitten," she grinned. She held her hand over the board Meowth had chosen.   
A slight breeze came from behind the board. Jessie dug her fingers around the   
board and pulled it back. A window was revealed. It was not completely shut.   
Jessie pulled the screen out of the frame and tugged the window up enough to   
allow herself entrance. Meowth hopped through behind her.  
  
"Hmm, yes," Jessie murmured as she looked around. "The classic house of ill   
repute."  
  
"Owth," the kitten wrinkled its lack-of-nose at the strange smells in the   
building. Jessie walked to the front of the building. From room to room, if the   
furniture wasn't already gone, it was piled high. The only expection was in the   
front room. Just behind the front door was a card table. And on the table was a   
long, unmarked black box. Jessie hmmed to herself as she approached the table.  
  
"Shaped like a mini-coffin," Jessie said to herself. The kitten hopped up onto   
the table and nosed the box. Meowth's ears sunk back and it hissed, backing   
away. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Mmmrrr... meowth.." the kitten's tail swished nervously. With a certain   
detached feeling, Jessie remembered seeing a similar box on Mitch's dresser a   
few days before the assassins had come for him. She bit her lip. Jessie also   
remember delivering many of these same boxes over the past many years. She   
didn't have to open the box to know what was inside. But she did anyway.  
  
The blade was cold despite the stuffy heat inside the room. It was completely   
black. The knife was smooth, flowing cleanly from handle to blade. The only mar   
it its surface was a small copper-red 'R' engraved into the handle. Jessie   
sighed softly.  
  
"I knew this was coming."  
  
***********  
  
James whistled as he made his way down the abandoned streets of Bethakit Town.   
Bethakit was small and totally unnoticable, even though it was only a few miles   
from Garden City. The few building of the town were dark and empty now. The wind   
had begun to pick up, and tree branches were already being pulled loose.  
Out of a cryptic amusement James kicked a few large rocks into some windows that   
hadn't been boarded up. The windows shattered delightfully, and James looked for   
something else to keep his attention. He looked up at the sky. It was empty,   
aside from the dark, fast moving clouds that had begun to fill the air.  
  
"It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood..."  
  
Twenty minutes of walking brought James to the outskirts of Garden City. He   
clutched his jacket to him as a gust tried to push him into a sign. There were   
no street lights, no stop lights, nothing showing life in the city. James' gaze   
traveled from building to building as he made his way down the long street.  
  
"Isn't this just an exciting place," James muttered. He looked around, feeling a   
bit nervous at the lack of people. "No challenge." He almost wished that there   
would be someone in the city to make things even the slightest bit difficult. As   
it was, James had been walking through town for almost ten minutes and not seen   
a single soul. Not even the police had been brave enough to challenge a   
hurricane.  
  
"I suppose that was smart of them though," James mused. "I'm much more dangerous   
than a hurricane."  
  
He continued walking, stopping occasionally to check things out. There wasn't   
really much to see, just a bunch of abandoned, boarded up buildings. Finally, he   
spotted his destination. The sight of it made him stop. He was in no hurry, the   
roads out of town wouldn't become impassable for at least another hour or two.   
At least, that's what the Boss had said. And he was supposed to trust the Boss.  
James' stomach growled, and he decided to have a quick snack before continuing.  
  
***********  
  
The building was still boarded up like it had been when Jessie had found it.   
James studied the dirt in front of the doorway. There were two sets of   
footprints. One bore the distinct markings of a high heeled boot, the other set   
were feline. James pursed his lips and checked the door. No real way in through   
the front. A further study of the dirt showed that Jessie and her Meowth had   
went around to the back. It wasn't difficult for James to find Jessie's point of   
entrance. He stopped, wondering what to do. Busting in gung ho wasn't his style,   
but if he didn't do this quickly James knew he might loose his nerve.  
  
He suspected Jessie knew this too.  
  
James crawled into the building. His nose curled, but he managed to ignore the   
smell. James made his way directly to the front room, where he knew that a team   
had been issued to leave the package for Jessie earlier in the week. He stood in   
the doorway. The room was empty, except for a small Meowth sitting on the table.   
The black box was shut, and the knife lay on the table in front of the feline.   
  
The Meowth held a piece of cloth in its mouth--it was a small, red,   
uniform-style 'R'.  
  
A pair of slender hands crossed over James' stomach. He attempted to pull away,   
but the hands held him fast. James could feel her breath on his neck.  
  
"I knew I smelled a whore," James said under his breath.  
  
"Now, now," Jessie whispered. "You know the rule. No one ever comes away   
empty-handed here." Her hand closed over his as it rested on his gun. "No, not   
just yet."  
  
"Just face this bravely and get it over with," James said.  
  
"Only fools face death without fear," Jessie hissed into James' neck. He   
swallowed. "They'll come for you someday too, when you're the outdated model.   
Where will you be then?"  
  
"The same place I am now, wrapped in the arms of death," James said evenly. "Why   
are you fighting this? What are you getting out of it?"  
  
"I'm doing this because I don't want to die, James!"   
  
"And what good will it do you? What is your life worth, Jessie? You know that if   
I don't do this someone else will."  
  
"That's what the knife is for," Jessie said. "And I'm not going to use it. I'm   
not going to let you kill me."  
  
"You don't have much of a choice," James said. His fingers twitched as Jessie's   
hand pressed his hand against the gun. She roughly pushed him away. He hit the   
table and turned quickly.  
  
"Then just do it!"  
  
James pulled out his gun and levelled it at her. His hand shook unexpectedly.  
Jessie's eyes narrowed. "Unless you're so brave that you can't even let me be a   
coward and run."  
  
"I can't destroy you like that, Jessie," James said.  
  
"But you'd willingly blow my face off? That doesn't count as destruction?"  
  
"You know what I mean," he said. Jessie stepped closer, pressing her nose   
against the barrel of the gun.  
  
"No, I don't," she said. She stared him challengingly in the eye.   
  
James looked at her uncertainly, shifting his gaze from her face and then to the   
gun. He pulled it away, clicking the safety into place. James turned his face   
away from Jessie. "Go."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I said, go," James snapped, looking back at her. "Take your Pokemon and your   
worthless life, and run. But I promise you, that you won't get away from me."  
  
***********  
  
Jessie ran.  
  
It had begun to rain, and Jessie immediately ran into problems. Her missing   
Meowth was one of them, but another was the weather. The roads were already   
beginning to cover in water, and she sunk at every step in the sogging earth.   
The wind was attempting to blow her into every building that she passed. So   
Jessie fled into the woods, doing her best to get somewhere that wasn't   
dangerous. She hadn't expected herself to turn into such a coward, but right   
then she had more things to worry about.  
  
Like where James had went. She was sure that he had followed her out, but where   
was he now? Jessie fell against a tree, clinging to it while she panted for   
breath. Everything stirred around her--it was impossible to tell if an attack   
was coming. But the forest was devoid of life--anything with half a brain had   
evacuated. Which explained why she was still there, running for her life through   
one of the worst hurricanes that the island had ever seen. Jessie knew,   
subconsciously, that this was just one of the rain bands. In an hour or so the   
rain and wind would lighten up for long enough for her to try and get away. If   
she lasted that long. After that the weather here would continue to get worse...  
Jessie pushed herself away from the tree and resumed running down the overgrown   
path. Broken tree limbs and bushes scraped at her legs, but forced herself to go   
on.   
  
"If... if I can just make it to someplace safe," Jessie panted to herself. The   
ground sucked at her feet, but she was leery of removing her shoes. "Except..   
there isn't anywhere to go..." Jessie sounded crazy, she knew. She racked her   
brain, trying to think of the best place to go.  
  
She stopped suddenly, looking around.  
  
"Shit," Jessie muttered. "I'm lost."  
  
**********  
  
James played with his gun for a few minutes after Jessie left. He sat in the   
front room of the abandoned whore house, wondering what to do next.  
  
"You're an idiot," he muttered to himself. "Why the hell did you let her get   
away? Again...?" James rested his gun on the floor.   
  
A small shadow crept across the already dark room's floor, towards James. He   
impulsively reached for his gun, but stopped.  
  
"Mrrrooow?" the shadow called. James sighed; it was that stupid cat of hers.  
  
"Here, Meowth," James called. The kitten bounded across the floor, looking at   
him brightly.  
  
"Meowth, owth?"  
  
"Why aren't you with Jessie?" James wondered. The kitten blinked its big blue   
eyes at him.  
  
"Meeeowth," it said, rubbing against his hand. James looked at the   
identification tag. Based on the identification codes, this kitten had been bred   
and trained by Team Rocket.  
  
"You really are messed up, aren't you?" James said to the Meowth. "You're   
supposed to be trained to protect your owner from people like me, and here you   
can't even sniff out an assassin when you're rubbing on him."  
  
"Meowth," the cat jumped up into James' lap, and curled into a ball. James   
awkwardly petted the feline, and was surprised to find that it was trembling.  
  
"You're scared, hmm?" James whispered. The wind was howling outside, but James   
had been able to ignore it thus far. "You poor kitten."  
  
"Meow," Meowth mewed softly and buried its face in his thigh.  
  
"I suppose I'll take you back to Headquarters," James murmured. "I think they'll   
accept you as proof that I did her in."  
  
The kitten just purred in reply.  
  
**********  
  
'This rain fucking hurts,' Jessie complained mentally. She was unable to voice   
her annoyances, as the wind was ripping the breath from her body. Jessie dug her   
nails into the bark of the tree that she was huddling against. The world   
thrashed violently around her, and every exposed surface of Jessie's skin was   
covered in small nicks and scrapes. Her hair was impossibly tangled, and Jessie   
had come to believe that if she survived this, she would likely have to get her   
hair cut. A small price to pay. Maybe she'd get it dyed too--take on a whole new   
persona. Start over.  
  
Jessie hated the way the mud felt in her shoes. It was a gross, squishy feeling.   
She wondered, while holding on for her life, why she was out here in the first   
place.  
  
'I knew it was a trap,' she thought. 'I should have never come. But who knew   
that it would be him... Why him? Why James? Haven't we suffered enough? How can   
we be so heartless...?'  
  
The wind howled in response.   
  
Jessie bit her lip, keeping her face turned away from the wind. An idea pricked   
in her mind. She'd only gotten a few miles before having to stop. Maybe she   
wasn't too far from St. Pokesburg... there were no landmarks present to be able   
to tell. She would have to wait for the wind and rain to let up, she could   
barely see let alone move right then.  
  
Waiting was a difficult thing to do.  
  
************  
  
James held his bag closesly agaisnt his chest. He peered through his goggles (at   
least now he understood why Lulu at the service desk had given him scuba gear   
when he explained his mission), and wished wryly that the goggles had built in   
windshield wipers. The Meowth inside the bag meowed horribly, as James lacked   
any pokeballs to keep the Pokemon in. The bag was lined, so the Meowth kitten   
wasn't getting wet. That didn't seem to make much difference to the frightened   
kitten, whose howls were loud enough to be heard over the screaming wind (and   
James' ear plugs).  
  
The trees were becomming thinner around him, and the wind was consequently   
getting stronger. James fought to keep his footing. He thought that through the   
whitewash surrounding him, that he could make out the vague silhouettes of   
buildings in the distance. St. Pokesburg? Bethakit Town? Or had he gotten lost   
and end back in Garden City, or even further in the opposite direction. James   
didn't think he'd been walking long enough to get to anywhere else.  
  
James plunged forward, and was so focused on reaching the buildings that when he   
tripped he head no idea what had happened. A terrible shriek came from the cat   
in the bag. James pushed himself back onto his feet and looked around in   
confusion. He'd tripped over a fallen tree limb. The ground around him was   
supersaturated, and the area was slowly beginning to flood. He sunk into the   
muck as he picked his bag up. James wiped off his goggles and looked at the tree   
limb again.  
  
There was something pinned underneath it. Or more credibly, someone.   
  
"Jessie?" James whispered.  
  
Her nails were still dug tightly into tree trunk, and she had remained in her   
clutching pose even when the tree had given way. Jessie was covered in mud.   
  
James pried her fingers loose from the bark, and her hands closed into fists. He   
bit his lip and pushed the debris away. A flying branch caught him in the   
shoulder, but James ignored the pain as he stared down at Jessie.  
  
He was supposed to kill her, but now she might be dead. To shoot her now would   
be pointless...  
  
"It was so much easier to kill Mitch, wasn't it? He never made your heart go   
pitter-pat," James muttered to himself as he dragged his former partner out of   
the mud. "Some assassin you ended up being."   
  
***********  
  
The first thing Jessie realized upon awakening was that she was cold. Cold   
and... something else. Her ears were ringing, something that she hadn't noticed   
before. It took her several minutes to determine her surroundings. She was   
inside a building, but the storm still raged outside. It rattled the windows and   
made the entire building groan under the undue stress.  
  
Jessie eventually was able to sit up, but quickly regreted it. She felt gross.   
Where there wasn't mud there was blood, and she wouldn't dare look at her hair.   
  
Jessie rubbed her eyes and looked around. The room was unknown to her, among   
other things. She was on the floor, and a few feet away lay a few towels and   
other items. There was also a large tub of water, of the type that was often   
mentioned when speaking of the days when one had to prepare a bath. Jessie   
inched her way toward the pile cautiously. The towels were softly and fluffly,   
and smelled faintly like strawberries. She wondered whose they were and why   
they'd been left behind.   
  
Jessie dipped her finger in the water. It was warm--someone had left it for her.   
She looked around, until she noticed the door on the far side of the room than   
was open. Jessie leaned and looked into the room.   
  
James was sitting with his back to her. He was busy carefully combing out his   
wet hair, and didn't seem to notice her. Jessie bit her lip and again wondered   
why she was there. James had brought her here? That didn't seem right. She was a   
little weary of undressing around the man who was supposed to be killing her,   
but the water was too tempting.  
  
Her clothes hit the floor with an unpleasant, muddy squish. Jessie slid into the   
water, watching the door for a moment. She gave a soft sigh. It was followed by   
an almost immediate screech of pain as the warm water made contact her wounds.   
Jessie shook for a moment until the pain subsided. She took one of the towels   
and set forth to cleaning her clammy skin. The water quickly grew a dirty film   
on the surface, but she didn't mind. Jessie inspected her legs. It looked like   
she'd gotten drunk and tried to shave. The cuts had stopped bleeding, but still   
looked ugly.   
  
The windows rattled loudly, and Jessie was reminded that she was still in a   
dangerous situation--with or without James.   
  
"My poor Meowth," Jessie sighed out loud. "I wonder what happened to it."  
  
"Meowth?"   
  
Jessie turned quickly in the tub, hitting her elbow. She winced, and then   
crossed her arms. James was standing in the doorway, holding her Meowth. The   
kitten looked, surprisingly, like it was in excellent health, if not a little   
shaken. James let the kitten down, and it bounded over to the tub.  
  
"Meowth meowth!" it sat and looked up at its owner happily. Jessie sighed,   
smiling at the cat. The smile fell when she looked up at James, who had moved   
closer.  
  
"James," she said dully. She kept her arms modestly crossed. "Why.. why all   
this? You could've left me out there, and kept your hands clean."  
  
James was silent, and then sat next to the Meowth. He petted the kitten on the   
head, and it purred appreciatively.   
  
"I couldn't," he whispered. James' eyes closed, and he sighed heavily. "I'll   
just have to take whatever punishment that the Boss has planned for me." He   
leaned his head against the side of the tub. "I still care too much about you,   
Jessie. You should have been able to figure that out by now."  
  
"I did," Jessie said, looking down at him. "And that's why you still frighten   
me, James."  
  
He looked up, shocked. "I... I frighten you?"  
  
"Anything uncontrollable does."  
  
"I... I'm not like that..."  
  
"You are. I heard about what you did to Dra02. Using the SWIFT gun on her wasn't   
very fair."  
  
"It's my job, Jessie. What am I supposed to do about it?"  
  
Jessie sunk further into the water, avoiding the question. "You could have just   
asked to do something other than being an assassin."  
  
"I'm good at it."  
  
"Because its a coward's job," Jessie noted. "You always were a shaking violet,   
you know."  
  
"Shaking violets don't kill people," James said, glaring for a moment.  
  
"They do if properly armed." Jessie watched the Meowth for a minute. "And you   
were armed. So why didn't you kill me?"  
  
"Because I didn't want to," James admitted from underneath his lowered eyes.   
"Because I'm a coward. We were partners, Jessie. Killing you wouldn't have been   
fair."  
  
"The world has never been known for its fairness," Jessie whispered. She   
motioned toward the towels, and James picked one up. He spread it and turned his   
face away. Jessie smiled briefly as she stepped out of the tub and wrapped the   
towel around herself. "It's nothing you haven't seen before."  
  
"But it's nothing that I deserve to see now." James kept his face turned away.   
"An assassin is no friend or lover."  
  
Jessie sat on the floor, and Meowth hopped up into her toweled lap. "It's all   
circumstances, James."  
  
"I deserve you under no circumstances, Jessie," James whispered sadly. He looked   
at her. She gazed back thoughtfully.  
  
"You would've in the past," she said, her voice sounding hollow.  
  
"It wasn't my fault. I didn't ask for us to be seperated--"  
  
"--I know, I know," Jessie snapped. "It was one of the Boss's wonderful plans.   
Wonderful for him, but what about us?"  
  
James stared at his hands. "There never was an us, Jessie."  
  
"There should've been."  
  
"Why can't there be now?"  
  
"Because..." Jessie tugged the front of the towel up. "Because I'm dead. And   
soon you will be too."  
  
"We don't have to be! We can run away, change our names. If we're dead we'll   
have never existed." He bit his lip.  
  
"It's a glorious thing to imagine that we could," Jessie whispered. Her Meowth   
jumped off of her lap and stalked around to the other side of the tub. "Where   
are we, James?"  
  
"St. Pokesburg, I think," he said.  
  
"And where will we be tomorrow?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Then let's keep it that way."  
  
James leaned closer. "But I want it to be with you."  
  
"We can never guarantee that things will be the way that we want them," Jessie   
whispered, turning her face away. After a moment's consideration, he stood and   
went into another room. Jessie watched as the lights overhead flickered for a   
moment, but held.  
  
James returned after a few minutes, holding a pair of scissors and a comb.   
Jessie unconsciously tugged her towel closer as he approached and sat behind   
her.  
  
"Let me fix your hair," he whispered.  
  
"What are the scissors for?"  
  
"I'm going to have to cut some of it, it's too knotted," James said. He rested a   
hand on the damp mess. Jessie sighed and nodded her agreement.  
  
James started at the bottom, cutting off several inches and then attempting to   
get the new end to untangle. He had to do this three times before the comb would   
travel the entire length of her hair. By then a little over half its length was   
gone. James combed her hair through repeatedly, and Jessie was silent. He   
brushed the free strands from her back, his hand straying longer than he   
imagined it would.  
  
"How short is it?" Jessie whispered.  
  
"About here," James replied, resting his palm a few inches below her shoulder   
blades. Jessie sighed again. "I tried not to cut too much off."  
  
"It's okay," she laughed lightly. "It was getting too long anyway." He made a   
vague noise of agreement.  
  
James stared at his hand, stared at the taught muscles of Jessie's back. "You're   
awfully tense."  
  
"Because I don't feel safe."  
  
"I'm not going to hurt you, Jessie," James promised. "And I won't let anyone--or   
anything else hurt you either."  
  
"You say that so easily, I can't help but wonder of the truth to your words."  
  
"I wouldn't lie to you."  
  
"Not like in the past?"  
  
"No."  
  
"I want to believe you."  
  
"What've you got to lose?"  
  
The lights flickered again. Jessie shifted uneasily, and James remembered his   
hand and pulled it away. Jessie cleared her throat.  
  
"Is there anything I can wear?"  
  
"In.. in the second room," James fought for his voice as Jessie stood. She   
pointed to a door, and he nodded.  
  
Several minutes passed. The only break in the silence was the meowthing of   
Jessie's Pokemon, and the howling of the wind. Trees were crashing loudly   
outside as well, and James wondered how long they'd be safe. He had meant what   
he'd said--this time he truly did. He was no fool. The encounter in Mitch's home   
had shaken him--James had not expected to ever see Jessie again. To find her was   
to reawaken the feelings that he'd buried deep somewhere and lost. He'd wanted   
her so badly that night, but it was not the time. And as Jessie said, the time   
may never come.  
  
James was brushing Jessie's hair into a neat pile when the lights gave out.   
There was a terrific crash outside as something gave way. The Meowth screeched   
and he saw its silhouette go flashing past in the sudden darkness.  
  
"James?" Jessie's voice called through the black.   
  
"Jessie!" James jumped to his feet and started toward the other room. Instead,   
she collided against him. Her arms wrapped around his waist, and they hit the   
floor in a heap.  
  
"Ow."  
  
"Sorry about that," Jessie's voice was soft and breathless.  
  
"It's okay," James said. "The power went out, that's all."  
  
"I know, I just wasn't expecting it, that's all."  
  
"I'm here," he whispered.  
  
"I can tell," she tried not to giggle. Jessie had nearly tackled him, and was   
still partially on top of him as they lay on the floor. "Awkward, isn't it?"  
  
"A little," he squeaked. "For a moment I thought that the cat had tackled me."  
  
"Meeowth!" the feline voice called from across the room.  
  
"He's okay for now," Jessie said. "But what will we do if the storm gets worse?"  
  
"We have nowhere to run," James noted. "We'll just have to ride it out."  
  
"Ride it out," she repeated lightly, still pressed against him.  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"James, I want you to know that this doesn't make up for kissing me the night   
you killed Mitch."  
  
"I know."  
  
"And it doesn't make for all those years we missed."  
  
"I know that, Jessie."  
  
Her lips were pressed against his cheek. "An assassin cannot love."  
  
"Then I quit."  
  
Their faces turned slightly.  
  
"You can't quit."  
  
"Then I'll just have to disappear like everyone else."  
  
"Those who disappear end up never existing."  
  
"I didn't like the existence we had..."  
  
**********  
  
Personnel Report 65^HD210-A and Personnel Report 65^HD210-B  
Agent WSJames01-01 and agent WSJessica01-01 have both been moved from the   
'Disappeared' list to the 'Removal' list as of 0400 hours this morning. Agent   
WSJames01-01 was sent to remove agent WSJessica01-01 two weeks ago, but has   
since not returned to duty. Evidence in the meeting place in Garden City   
suggests that Agent WSJessica01-01 was removed. Further evidence in a building   
in St. Pokesburg suggests that Agent WSJames01-01 occupied the building while   
riding out Hurricane Dewolf. The building was destroyed by the storm, however   
Agent WSJames01-01's body was not found in the wreckage. He is believe to be   
removed. Neither of the Agent's bodies have been located, but both are being   
terminated from the records. This will be the sole recordance of their   
membership. If found alive elsewhere, neither Agent will be recognized. The   
Assassin's bureau of Team Rocket has already filed their papers and removed   
Agent James01-01 from their records. Any remaining evidence will be destroyed,   
per the requirements of the Tioani Papers.  
  
End PR 65^HD210-A-B  
  
Personnel Report 65^HD211  
Agent DSHaikens-05 was reported missing at 0500 hours this morning. The last   
person to see this agent was her partner, Agent DSTruez-02, who was found   
removed yesterday at 1700 hours....  
  
***********  
  
The End?  



End file.
